Electrical home appliance with top cover

Abstract

 The invention relates to a home electrical appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher with a top cover 5 comprising a chassis that has two side walls 2, a rear wall 3, and a front wall 4 where a top cover 5 is fastened to the upper part of the chassis by means of fastening elements, wherein the top cover 5 has a frame with two lateral sides 52 that are connected to the side walls 2 by means of sliding fasteners 7, 8 and a rear side 51 that connects to the rear wall 3 by means of an interference fastener 6, 9.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electrical home appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers with a top cover that includes a chassis, and has side walls, a rear wall, and a front wall with a top cover that is fastened to the upper portion of the chassis by means of fastening elements.

[0002] The chassis of washing machines are formed from side walls of sheet metal that are joined to form one piece with the rear wall forming a body in the shape of a U. This U-shaped body is reinforced by means of metallic crossbars that rigidify the structure. The springs of the oscillating unit hang from the upper crossbar. The upper crossbar can be a full metal top. The front wall is joined to the arms of the U-shaped body by means of several plastic hooks that engage in corresponding slotted openings. Finally, they are reinforced with screws.

[0003] The upper part of the chassis is closed by a top that is screwed on or is joined by a clip fastener to the upper part of the two side walls, the upper part of the back wall and the upper part of the front wall.

[0004] Washing machines with a conventional top cover fasten the top cover to the chassis by, for example, sliding the top over the chassis, which is screwed down when it is in the correct position.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a chassis for a home electrical appliance that is easier to manufacture and has simpler connections.

[0006] This object is achieved by means of a washing machine that has a top cover and includes a chassis, in the interior of which hangs the oscillating unit of the washing machine, and has two side walls, one rear wall and one front wall where the top cover is fastened to the upper part of the chassis by fasteners, where the top cover has a frame with two lateral sides that are connected to the side walls by means of a sliding fastener and a rear side that connects to the rear wall by means of an interference fastener.

[0007] The advantage of this system compared to others is the ease of assembly. The system is much simpler than the conventional one. Elimination of screws provides a savings in material, and consequently also in costs. However, this is not the only advantage of this system. A simpler system to assemble means a reduction in assembly time, and this means a cost savings when factory production is scaled up.

[0008] In one embodiment, the upper part of the side walls is formed from sheet metal and has at least one slot with a tapered width such that a projection provided in the lateral sides of the top cover frame engages therein and slides until becoming retained by the slot. In this manner, the top can slide over the chassis until it becomes firmly engaged.

[0009] Moreover, the rear wall is formed from sheet metal and has at least one window such that a catch on the rear side of the top cover frame engages therein. Having a simple clip fastening such as this avoids the need for installing screws at the end of cover assembly.

[0010] To facilitate the assembly of the top cover on the chassis, the rear side of the top cover frame is flexible, permitting the catch to slide over the surface of the rear wall and to enter the window.

[0011] A simplified top cover has the top cover frame formed from plastic and the catch is formed to be integral with the rear side.

[0012] Another assembly option is to introduce the catches into the windows of the rear wall of the chassis by rotating the top cover above them until the projections on the lateral sides of the top cover frame are introduced into the slots of the side walls of the chassis and are fastened by pressing thereon.

[0013] Other advantages are brought out in the following description of the figures contained in the attached drawing. One embodiment of the invention is shown in the figures. The figures, the description and the claims contain combinations of numerous characteristics. One skilled in the art could advantageously also consider the characteristics individually and recombine them in other reasonable combinations.

[0014] In the drqwing, there are shown:

Figure 1.

an exploded perspective view of a chassis of a washing machine with a top cover;

Figure 2.

a top view of a slot in the upper part of a side wall with a projection on the top cover engaged in the slot and,

Figure 3.

a schematic view of slip fastening and interference fastening of the top cover to the chassis of the washing machine.

[0015] Figure 1 shows chassis 1 of a home washing machine with the walls that constitute it in an exploded perspective view. Side walls 2 are joined to each other by means of crossbars to rigidify the structure. Top cover 5 has a frame with two lateral sides 52 and one rear side 51 and is fastened to the upper surface of side walls 2 by means of sliding joints with projections 7 placed in lateral sides 52 which in the assembled position engage slots 8 located on the upper surface of side walls 2. In rear side 51 of top cover frame 5 are located several catches 6 that in the assembled position lock into openings 9 that open in rear wall 3 of chassis 1. Also visible is front wall 4 of the chassis that closes it, delimiting the space within the washing machine where the oscillating unit is placed. This fastening system is based on interference between two pieces (for example, the cover and panel). There is an opening or window 9 in rear wall 3. Top cover 5 slides over chassis 1 until it reaches the end, at which time it is lowered and fits into rear wall 3. Since it is an interference joint, the top will be completely fastened and does not require screws. Moreover, assembly is very simple.

[0016] Figure 2 shows a top view of the sliding fastener between the top cover and the upper part of side wall 2 of chassis 1. A hole is formed in side wall 2 to be used as slot 8, into which is introduced projection 7 that is formed in lateral side 52 of the top cover, and in the assembled position becomes engaged at the narrowest part of the slot as seen in Figure 2.

[0017] Figure 3 shows a schematic view of the top cover mounted on the chassis with a detailed view of sliding fasteners 7, 8 and interference fastener 6, 9. In the left side of the figure is seen the sliding fastener where projection 7 of lateral side 52 of the top cover frame is engaged in slot 8 of the upper part of side wall 2 of the chassis. In the right side of Figure 3 is seen the interference fastener where catch 6 of rear side 51 of the top cover frame is engaged in window 9 in rear wall 3 of the chassis.

Claims

1. A home electrical appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher with a top cover (5) comprising a chassis that has two side walls (2), a rear wall (3), and a front wall (4) where a top cover (5) is fastened to the upper part of the chassis by means of fastening elements, wherein the top cover (5) has a frame with two lateral sides (52) that are connected to the side walls (2) by means of sliding fasteners (7, 8) and a rear side (51) that connects to the rear wall (3) by means of an interference fastener (6, 9).

2. The home electrical appliance as recited in Claim 1, wherein the upper part of the side walls (2) is formed from sheet metal and has at least one slot (8) of tapered width such that a projection (7) provided in the lateral sides (52) of the top cover frame (5) engages and slides therein until it is retained by the slot (8).

3. The home electrical appliance as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear wall (3) is formed from sheet metal and has at least one window (9) such that a catch (6) from the rear side (51) of the top cover frame (5) engages therein.

4. The home electrical appliance as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear side (51) of the top cover frame (5) is flexible to permit the catch (6) to slide over the surface of the rear wall (3) and to enter the window (9).

5. The home electrical appliance s as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the top cover frame (5) is formed from plastic and the catch is formed to be integral with the rear side (51).

Drawing